SINGAPORE, May 30 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced on Tuesday that the proportion of employees with an increase in total wage dropped slightly in 2016.
According to the ministry, 75 percent of employees received an increase in total wage last year, compared with 77 percent in 2015, and the proportion of establishments that raised total wage declined to 58 percent in 2016 from 64 percent in 2015.
Meanwhile, the total wages, including employer Central Provident Fund contributions, of private sector employees grew 3.1 percent in 2016, compared with 4.9 percent in 2015.
The basic wage rose 3.5 percent in 2016, compared with 4.2 percent in 2015. And the real total wage, after accounting for the constant -0.5 percent inflation rate in 2015-2016, grew 3.6 percent in 2016, compared with 5.4 percent in the previous year.
The MOM attributed the moderation in total wage increase to that majority of firms had put in place a wage system that gave flexibility to adjust wages according to business conditions.
According to the ministry, the proportion of profitable private establishments continued to decline from 79 percent in 2015 to 76 percent in 2016.
